Roller for sliding doors



(No Model.)

N. LUCAS.

ROLLER FOR SLIDING DOORS.

N0. 330,339. PatentedNov. 10, 1885.

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FI ICEQ aren't NOAH LUCAS, OF NORWICH, CONNECTICUT.

ROLLER FOR SLIDING DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,339, dated November10, 1885.

Application filed February 3, 1885. Serial No. 154,812. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, NOAH LUCAS, of the city of Norwich, county of NewLondon, and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Rollers for Sliding Doors,whichimprovement is fully setforth and described in the following specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to anti-friction rollers used to support andguide sliding doors, my immediate object being to provide rollers whichwill be comparatively noiseless, and which may be produced withoutadding materially to the cost.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a portion of a doorsuspended on one of my improved rollers. Fig. 2 is a verticalcross-section through the center of said roller, (somewhat enlarged,)and also shows the form of track or guide-rail used.

The method and means for securing my roller to the sliding door andoperating the same are substantially the same as in the de vices now incommon use-that is to say, said roller rotates on a stud secured to ametallic bracket, which in turn is secured rigidly to the sliding door.

My invention consists, in brief, of providing a flexible or yieldingtire which encircles each metallic roller and is so shaped that themetal roller and the guidetrack in which said roller travels are kept atall times from contact with each other by said intervening flexibletire.

Referring to the annexed drawings, a represents a rolleror pulley; 12,its pivot or axle,

and 0 my flexible tire, held in an annular groovein the periphery ofsaidroller,as shown.

d is a rail, of metal or other suitable material, havinga semicircularlongitudinal groove in which rests and travels the rubber tire c.

It will now be evident that as the door is moved to open or close it thetire 0 will follow said grooved rail, but as the metallic portion of theroller is thus kept from contact with said rail no noise is made.

The value of my invention will be especially apparent when applied tosliding doors in dwelling houses, where the slightest noise causes greatannoyance. This new form of roller can be used equally well with doorssus pended on an overhead track, as described, or with a ground-track,in which latter case said rollers may be concealed in the usual way inmortises in the door, if desired.

I am aware of the patent to R. G. Hatfield, No. 38,387, dated May 5,1863, and do not, therefore, broadly claim a rubber-tired roller.

What I do claim 1's The combination of a suitably-pivoted roller forsliding doors,having its periphery grooved, as shown, with an encirclingtire of rubber adapted to fill said grooved roller, and a guidetrack ofsuch size and shape that said roller may travel in and be guided by saidtrack, but is held from contact with the pivoted. metallic roller, forthe objects hereinbefore set forth.

NOAH LUCAS.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. ALLEN, TYLER J. HOWARD.

